Monthly Archives: September 2014

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Originally posted on Female & Fungi: Meeting Medicinal Mushrooms with Sophia Rose By Andrea Rossi All photos courtesy of La Abeja’s Blog and Instagram. The morning was crisp with winter only a few short months away, much cooler at this…

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Get Diirty, Get Involved…Building Community!Beautifying Parks!The Bronx is Blooming seeks to inspire a culture of environmental stewardship and community advocacy by engaging Bronx communities and youth as leaders in the beautification of local parks. Check out the amazing work Bronx is Blooming is doing. To join or volunteer today. To Read More… check out the Community tab under Projects, Gardens.

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A special invitation for you to the 3rd Annual Brooklyn Queens Land Trust (BQLT) Garden Tour FREE happening this Today!

The bike tour offers participants a chance to talk to master gardeners & community care takers, learn how gardens feed and nurture communities, share recipes and tidbits on food culture. Get up close and personal with local livestock, touch, smell and taste a wide variety of vegetables, flowers, and herbs. The bike tour is a semi self led intergenerational cross cultural experience!! Walkers and Cars are also welcome to participate!!

There will be snacks and beverages for tour guests along the route, as well as a family friendly party with tons of music and games at our last stop with music and games. Its going to be a wonderful day!! All ages welcome!!

Bike riding, exploring the beautiful gardens of Brooklyn, eating delicious foods, talking urban agriculture, sustainability, healthy living, visiting with bees & chicens, and enjoying the splendor of Nature. This year we will visit gardens within the diverse neighborhoods of Fort Greene, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Prospect Heights & Bushwick. We get to witness and affirm the many connections between us that stretch across race, gender, class and culture.

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Clitoria ternatea, commonly called Blue Butterfly pea, is a tropical vine from the family of Fabaceae. The beautiful, bright blue flowers are edible and in many asian countries used for natural food coloring. The flowers are rich in the powerful antioxidant blue proanthocyanidin. Tea from the flower operates draining and support the eyesight. The butterfly flower tea tastes a bit like black tea, but the taste is quite slight.

If you add some lime juice to the blue solution, it will magically turn to purple! — MyNiceGarden.com

In Thailand the butterfly pea tea is known as Dok Anchan Tea and is used to make a sweet blue sirup for soft drinks called nam dok anchan, for blue rice and Thai sweets. In Burma (Myanmar) the flowers are fried in a batter. Clitoria ternatea roots are used in Indian ayurveda medicine. – orchids-flowers.com

Ayurveda Medicine.

Female Sexuality. The flower of Clitoria ternatea has been named as ‘Clitoria’ since it resembles the structure of the female reproductive organ. The herb has been found to be effective in treating female sexual disorders like infertility, correct menstrual disorders, etc. Also, the flowers serve as a sexual enhancer or aphrodisiac. Cough, Cold and Asthma. The roots of Clitoria ternatea have great medicinal value. They can be powdered and consumed. They cure whooping cough in an instant manner. The herb also cures cold and asthma present in people. The plant can be used to smoke to cure throat related infections. A decoction can be prepared and used to gargle to cure core throats. Stress Reliever. The roots of Clitoria ternatea are used to treat mental disorders. They also relieve the stress and hence are sold as antidepressants. Brain Power. The roots of Clitoria ternatea have the ability to improve memory and make you an intellectual. They are also used to cure brain related illnesses. Nerve System. Clitoria ternatea has a very positive effect on the human nerve system. It strengthens the nerves present in the body and increases the functioning of the brain. Anxiety and Depression. Clitoria ternatea is very effective in treating anxiety and depression related problems. Fertility. The herb has a very good medicinal value in treating the male infertility. It increases the sperm mobility and makes you reproductive. The plant also aids in digestive health. The herb is very effective in curing constipation. It also serves as a mild laxative and cures the ulcers. Circulatory System. The herb has the property to regulate the circulatory system. It purifies the blood in the body and gives a new energy to the body. Body Strength. The herb has the property to increase the strength of the body. (For more information on Ayurveda Clitoria Medicine see these websites: Easy Ayurveda and Ayurvedic Natural Home Remedies website.

Recipe: Butterfly Pea Flower (Clitoria ternatea) Tea
10 dried flowers per cup of tea are recommended Scald the dried flowers with boiling water to clean them. Drain the flowers through a sieve and pour the liquid away. Than scald the flowers again with boiling water and let them infuse about 5 – 10 minutes. Drain again through a sieve and serve the flower tea hot or chilled, sweeten with sugar or honey. You may add the flowers to other fruit- or herbal tea mixes as well. Alternatively add the infusion to fruit juice or cocktails.

It is renowned in Asia folklore for it’s amazing effects on skin & hair. It’s also considered ‘nootropic’ because it produces a mild meditative calming effect & is known for anti-stress & improving memory & mental alertness. Called “Anchan” in Thailand, Blue Butterfly pea flower also has a high content of the natural polyphenol, ‘Quercetin’. It’s in numerous hair care products, skin care products, and used as a culinary coloring and in cooking. – Paradise Moon.com.

Additional Readings: Below you’ll find the complete papers published on recent discoveries made on the Clitoria ternatea.

Out of India, the International Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences (IJPBS) publishes this paper entitled: Clitoria ternatea (APARAJITA): A REVIEW OF THE ANTIOXIDANT, ANTIDIABETIC AND HEPATOPROTECTIVE POTENTIALS.

In a joint effort by the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at Jadavpur University, West Bengal, India and the School of Pharmacy at the University of London, the paper is published entitled: The Ayurvedic medicine Clitoria ternatea—From traditional use to scientific assessment.

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This week we got a little creative and invented a new herbal blend. We’re calling it the Inflammation-Reducing Tea. This tea was prepared with Longan leaves, Guanabana leaves and tea bags of a “Lotus embryo” blend: Lian Zi Cha, a Chinese cleansing herbal tea. See our coverage of the amazing properties of all of these herbs. The final tea had a pleasant taste, typically we recommend not adding any sugars so as to not alter the beneficial qualities and nourishment that the tea can provide. Click here to continue reading!